Reasons to Attend STGCC 2013

With less than a week to the coolest East meets West popular culture event of the year, the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention 2013, the team behind this year’s STGCC have definitely been very busy putting the event together for everyone.

With tickets already on sale and the event schedule for both day up, this year’s STGCC 2013 looks to be another exciting two days for both eastern and western popular culture fans. But if you are one of those still wondering if you should make the trip down, do let me share with you some very good reasons why you should get off the fence and get your ticket.

Toys, Hot Toys, Transformer Toys and More Toys

The first ‘T’ in STGCC stands for toys and this year it is all about toys and more toys for both the hardcore collector and even the casual visitors.

As with previous years, the very popular Hot Toys is back again with 3 exclusive movie tie-ins for this year’s STGCC with Captain America from the movie Captain America: The First Avengers, Joe Colton from G.I. Joe Retaliation and Superman which is crafted from the likeness of Christopher Reeve from the 3rd Superman Movie.

Another toy to look out for is something that is very close to my heart, the super huge robot fortress Metroplex from the Transformers series. I am sure I am not the only one with a childhood dream of owning Metroplex but never had the money as a kid. Well now as a working adult, this is gonna be one huge temptation that I am not sure I can survive.

But that’s not all as there are many more toys to look out for. I know I will be looking forward to getting my hands on more nano blocks as I love how small yet good looking the different sets turn out to be and my nano frog sure looks lonely on my office keyboard. Time to get him some company.

Boyfriends who missed out on the recent Hello Kitty craze collection for their other halves can look out for more Hello Kitty goodness with the Ugly Doll collection.

Last but not the least do check out a person favourite of mine, tokidoki which is by a very talented Simone Legno. His designs are really one of the kind good and if the likes of Microsoft and Volkswagen would hire him for projects, you know this is one guy to look out for.

It’s Cosplay Heaven with Vampy and Aza

It doesn’t get any more East meets West this year with two very talented cosplayers from opposite sides of the world come together to showcase the best in the world of cosplay.

From the west we have Vampy Bit Me who needs no introduction with her very gorgeous cosplays from the likes of the Marvel and DC universe. I personally am praying she brings her Psylocke cosplay over so I can lose lots of blood via my nose over it. Ok better remind the team to bring blood packs for me.

From the east we have Aza who has been creating waves in the cosplay community since entering the scene 8 years ago. From her amazing cosplay of Inori Yuzuriha to that of Annie Leonhart, this is one lady who continues to impress with her standard of cosplay.

With these two lovely ladies attending this year’s STGCC, you can be sure that things will get very hot especially on stage during the cosplay segment. I think I better tell my team to double the blood packs in case I get to meet both of them at the same time.

Lets not forget our own local cosplayers who have been doing Singapore proud with their drive to improve on their standard of cosplay. Do remember to bring your cameras they will be more than happy to pose for you at the event. Just remember to be polite and respect their privacy when they are taking a break. Cosplaying is no easy feat.

Be Amazed by The Hall of Armor

Everyone knows Iron Man with 3 incredible movies and one major spin off and lots of toy replicas all over the world. But it is not everyday that you get to see life sized Iron Man suits up close and personal.

Thanks to the good people at Action City & Hot Toys, visitors to STGCC will get to see these suits up close and personal. Ever wanted to be Tony Stark just for that few moments? Well think no more and get your ticket for this year’s STGCC and visit the Hall of Armor.

Do remember to bring your cameras and charge the batteries as this is something not to be missed.

It Doesnt Get Bigger Than Namco Bandai

If you have not heard about Namco Bandai, I suggest you start playing more games on the console. One of the biggest names out of Japan, Namco Bandai will have it’s presence felt at this year’s STGCC with Hideo BABA, the producer of the Tales of series coming down.

The Tales of Series is one of the most critically acclaimed J-RPG franchises with the latest instalment, Tales of Xillia shipping over 600,000 units on the Playstation 3 during the first launch week.

Hideo BABA will also be on stage where he will be sharing on what’s upcoming for Tales of Xillia which fans of the game should not miss.

Meet Redjuice of Guilty Crown Fame

Guilty Crown is an anime that comes highly recommended to all anime fans. If you have not watched it, please do and if you have already did, you will agree me that the character design is of a high standard. From the boy who needs to grow up Shu to the beautiful yet innocent Inori, I am sure I am not the only one whose heart has been captured by the design of the very talented Redjuice.

Fans of Guilty Crown can rejoice to know the genius behind the Guilty Crown characters will be at this year’s STGCC. Not only will Redjuice have an autograph session at the Walk of Fame but also have a stage segment where he talks about his works and answer your question. He will also have a special live drawing session which fans should not miss.

To Infinity and Beyond with Disney

The biggest and I do mean BIGGEST name in family entertainment will be making its highly anticipated appearance at this year’s STGCC. Yup, The Walt Disney Company will be bringing down popular brands such as Disney XD, Disney Infinity, Marvel Studios, Marvel Animation TV, and LEGO all under one roof at STGCC.

Accompaning Disney on its first venture into STGCC will be big names who will be there to meet fans, sign autographs and conduct panel session. Confirmed names include the one and only C.B. Cebulski (Senior Vice President Marvel Studios/Disney), Cort Lane (Producer of Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Vice President of Animation Development and Production for Marvel Entertainment) and Nicholas Foo (the only Asia-based (Singapore) LEGO Certified Professional).

Final Thoughts

Every year as I sit down to plan the coverage for Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention, I keep thinking that it cannot get bigger than this. Yet every year the good people behind STGCC continue to amaze me that I end up eating more chocolates to counter the stress of planning POPCulture Online’s coverage.

This year I really cannot think of any reason why popular culture fans would want to give this a miss. If having two huge names in the cosplay scene here is not enough, the Hall of Armor should make up for the rest. Not forgetting mega big name Disney making an appearance, visitors to STGCC will definitely get their ticket’s money worth and maybe even more.

POPCulture Online is proud to be one of the supporting media for this year’s STGCC again and we will be covering as much as we can for this year’s STGCC. We got some surprises in stored this year but as it is considered extremely classified of the highest order, I can’t share anything yet.

One thing I can share is that the team at POPCUlture Online is definitely looking forward to the event and excitement is on a all time high. We look forward to the event and hope that you too will be there to enjoy the coolest East meets West popular culture event known to Singapore.